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Link Building Newsletter “LinkMoses Private” from Eric Ward

“Eric Ward has been building links and educating people on how to do it the right since way before search engines decided links were important. Read and learn!– Danny Sullivan, Founder – SearchEngineLand

“We here at Powered By Search LOVE LinkMoses…and couldn’t imagine a life without these newsletters!”– PoweredBySearch.com (Febraury, 2017)

Dear LinkMoses Subscribers,

As many of you know, Eric Ward passed away suddenly on October 16, 2017.

It has been a great blessing to see the public response to his amazing work in this industry over the years.

After much thought and consideration, we have decided to continue Eric’s LinkMoses Newsletter In Memory of his contributions and his hard work in educating the link building and SEO industry. The Newsletter will be Eric’s own writings and words, as edited by his friend and colleague, Tye Odom.

To those peers and colleagues who had the privilege to know Eric, work with him, and learn from him, we know you will understand how important his contributions to the link building industry are, and understand our desire to recognize his strong, lasting impact. It is our hope that past followers as well as newcomers will continue to learn from Eric’s work and help us in honoring his legacy.

It’s good to be publishing again. I’m two issues behind and will get caught up, so thank you to those of you reading this, because you stuck around and when you could have unsubscribed. I wont waste your time with the details of our family’s difficult Summer, other than to say sometimes being a one-person business can be extremely challenging when family matters take me away from my work. That’s just how it is, and no virtual assistant or ghost writer is going to be able to fill in for me in a way I’d be happy with. I made the decision 22 years ago to remain a one person business and many times I’ve questioned that choice. But here I am.

2). Domain Metric Prejudice and Links

This is a bit long, but bear with me. I haven’t written in a while so I’ll probably ramble, but there’s a point in here you need to see.

I’m sure many of you use third party linking analytics tools (Moz, Majestic, ahrefs, cognitive, LRT, etc.) as part of your site evaluation process for link development. I use them myself. Depending on which tool you use you’re likely familiar with terms link Domain Authority, Trust Flow, Domain Rating, and many others. While this data can be useful, one of the unfortunate tendencies I’ve noticed when talking with clients is their belief that a domain or a page is a better prospect because it has a higher number/score associated with it.

Using cnn.com as an example, Majestic’s site explorer gives the cnn.com domain a Trust Flow score of 92/100, ahrefs gives it a Domain Rating Score of 80/100, and Moz gives it a Domain Authority score of 99/100. Regardless of how these tools arrived at those scores, it’s obvious that all three tools feel the cnn.com domain is trustworthy and highly authoritative. Politics aside, it’s hard to argue that point. I think we’d all love to have a link from cnn.com

Low Scores Doesn’t Mean Low Value
But there’s another side to domain metrics that’s often overlooked. By assigning a score to a domain or pages it’s easy to prejudice ourselves against those sites and pages with lower scores. I know this happens because I’ll be in a strategy call with a client and they’ll ask me “what’s the lowest domain score?” they should use as a cutoff when prospecting. I also receive unsolicited RFPs where the client’s criteria will include something like “All links obtained will have a Domain Authority above 50”.

The common thread here is the belief that “higher is better“, and while I’m sure we’d all love to get links from sites with the highest possible scores, what’s overlooked or ignored is some of the best sites will have low authority or trust scores simply because they are in a very specific niche, where NONE of the sites have high scores.

Here’s a real life example. Some of you know from my previous writings that I have a son who plays baseball. Recently, his favorite baseball glove started to fall apart, and his coach told us that we could find people online who specialize in re-lacing and restoring baseball gloves.

I did a Google search using the phrase “baseball glove restoration”

I was amazed at the number of individuals and companies that offered this very specialized service. As a linking strategist, I was also curious about how sites ranking the highest got there. That’s the thing about Google. No matter what your search term is, Google will give you ranked results, and we know that links remain one of the primary ranking signals.

Majestic.com shows D&J Glove Repair only has 5 domains linking to it, with domain trust flow scores of 0, 1, 21, 28 and 43. The site with the score of 43, meaning it’s the most powerful link D&J Glove Repair has, was this blog post below

ahrefs.com shows D&J Glove Repair has 6 domains linking to it, with the highest page being the same blog post as the one Majestic found above. ahrefs gave that same blog post a score of 56, to Majestic’s 43.

What was especially interesting is the site that ranked #7 (gloverepair.com), had over 100 domains linking to it and over 5,000 links. Some of the sites linking to it had Domain Ratings above 70.

So why wouldn’t that site rank first?

Because all of that site’s high scoring domains were spam, including one in Japan. gloverepair.com’s backlink profile was filled with junk, and Google had spotted it.

The point of all this is to illustrate how metrics can be very helpful, but can also get in the way of a link development project, especially if you put an arbitrary requirement on your prospecting and target site selection process. The more narrow the niche the lower the domain metrics are likely to be. And here’s one last eye-opening metric. The site above that ranked #1 for my search (D&J Glove Repair), had a Trust Flow score of 2, according to Majestic’s metrics.

A site with a Trust Flow score of 2/100 had just 6 domains linking to it, yet it still ranked #1, and got our business.

From the article…Google has opened up the ability for users to add accessibility information to business listings. In turn, this will make it easier for individuals to find wheelchair accessible locations in Search and Maps…Thus far, with the help of its users, Google has been able to add accessibility information to almost 7 million places worldwide. Here’s more about this from Google https://www.blog.google/products/maps/building-map-everyone/

From the article…A new ranking study done by Stone Temple Consulting on the importance of links has just been released. The study shows clearly how links are as powerful as ever for ranking in the Google search results. You can read the study here:https://www.stonetemple.com/link-as-a-ranking-factorThe study used several models to illustrate why links remain a powerful ranking factor and compared them to the two previous studies the company ran. The tests were done on the same 6,000 queries used in all three studies, so the researchers were able to show how there were no marked changes in the impact of links in the past few years.

4). The Missing Link – Linking News and Miscellanea

The Missing Link section features linking related news items, tips, columns, videos, and finds that can help your linking and content sharing strategies.

From the site…What’s a Citation Cheat Sheet? This page was created for anyone who already knows the basics of citation management such as professional SEOs or small business owners that manage their own business listings. This citation cheat sheet is meant to be just that; a cheat sheet for when you need a quick reference on how to add, edit or remove a citation on top directory sites. Our citation cheat sheet will show you how to:

– Add a business to a site
– Claim an already existing business listing
– Edit a listing you have already claimed
– Suggest an edit for a listing you do not have control over
– Remove a listing
– Contact certain directory sites for help

From the article…What is Link Trust? Link trust is the inherent value a user places on the link they are thinking about clicking on. Will it take them to a trustworthy site, or something spammy or malicious? Does it describe where it is going to, or is it random gibberish? While nowadays we are less concerned with clicking a link leading to a detrimental end, people, most specifically in this case users on various social media platforms, do have questions as to “Where will this take me?” and “Will this article be any good?” and “Who wrote this?” and “Is this author a good curator of content, or are they just streaming crap from their stream like everyone else?”

From the article…Citations continue to be the bane of the existence of digital marketing agencies and businesses alike. The heavily manual and time-consuming character of the work have been the main problems people encounter when trying to resolve local citation related issues. Citation inconsistency has been cited as both the most commonly encountered issue affecting local search rankings, and a foundational element of local SEO. This is one of the main reasons why automated solutions have been popular in the industry ever since the era of UBL. However, most (if not all) of the automated solutions suffer from a few shortcomings that are difficult to resolve in a non-manual manner.

When your website content is shared on Facebook, Messenger and other places, the Sharing Debugger helps you understand what type of information is used to create link previews. This document covers many of the more common questions developers ask while troubleshooting their links and working with the Open Graph metatags on their websites.

From the article…According to a survey sent out to Search Engine Journal’s Twitter audience, 38 percent said they never disavow links. Of the remaining respondents, 26 percent say they disavow quarterly, 18 percent state they do it monthly, and 18 percent declare they only do it yearly..

5). PLA Alerts (Also known as LOAs) – Publicity/Link/Awareness Alerts

Here are eight (6) Publicity, Link, and Awareness alerts that you should pursue if they are a fit for your business. The opportunities I feature change with every issue. My goal is not only to help you rank higher at Google. My goal is to show by example the remarkable variety of quality awareness, linking and content publicity opportunities available for your site, or app, or company, or software, of whatever the case may be.

DISCLAIMER-PLEASE READ:

Remember that not every Publicity, Link, and Awareness alert will make sense for everyone. Please use discretion when making submissions, and only submit when it is a fit for your business.

There are thousands of high Publicity, Link, and Awareness opportunities, it’s just not easy to find them when you are busy running your business every day. That’s where I come in. It’s what I do and have done for twenty years.

I only feature link/publicity opportunities if I am confident they have the potential to help your business. This does not mean these opportunities will automatically help your search rank. It means they will not be perceived as unnatural or manipulative.

The Publicity, Link, and Awareness alerts presented in each issue of LinkMoses Private are only appropriate for specific types of content and/or business verticals and locations.

Note that opportunity alerts are accurate as of the day I publish them.

From the site…Logistics List is a comprehensive logistics directory for decision makers in search of trusted solutions from warehousing, trucking, or fully integrated third party logistics companies.
Introduced in 2005, Logistics List was founded with the hope of providing an easy to navigate, user friendly directory for the logistics/3PL industry.

About:
HappyCow was founded in 1999 as a public service to assist travelers and people everywhere find plant-based / vegan options and healthy food. We are vegan-run, from a vegan perspective, and staffed by vegans and vegetarians. Today, our online community has grown to include members from around the world who are passionate about the vegan lifestyle as a healthy, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable way of living. More than simply a restaurant and health food store guide, HappyCow is an ever-evolving online hub that serves millions worldwide each month.

About:http://cinematreasures.org/about
Since 2000, Cinema Treasures has united movie theaters and patrons to build the world’s most comprehensive guide to movie theaters, and help celebrate and preserve the moviegoing experience.

About:
The Motorhome Directory provides an online directory of information services featuring information regarding recreational vehicles in Canada and the United States of America. In addition, we provide classified advertisements and marketing, advertising, and promoting the retail goods and services of others via an online electronic communication network.

About:
As automotive technology advances, it is imperative to find independent auto repair shops who specialize in what you drive. Extremewrench has cataloged over 150,000 Independent auto repair shops from coast to coast. Our mission is for you to find a reputable and competent Extreme Independent Auto Repair Shop close to you. These shops are the ones who are investing in the training and technology to continue to provide professional service for today’s advanced automobiles.
Extremewrench is trying to include only reputable independent auto repair specialists.Submission Processhttp://extremewrench.com/SubmitshopHome.asp

That wraps up this issue of LinkMoses Private.

What is LinkMoses Private?

“If you’re serious about link building, you should subscribe to LinkMoses Private. The cost? A mere $8 a month. That, my friends, is hilariously little money”.– Joost de Valk

Each issue of LinkMoses Private features linking strategies and tactics, linking case studies, curated linking industry news, and vetted Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunities (PLAs). LinkMoses Private has subscribers all over the world.

Watch our live private video Q/A’s via YouTube Live like this one below.

Watch: Above is a recording from a live 90 minute linking strategies Q/A. LinkMoses Private subscribers will be able to participate in members-only live Q/A’s

LinkMoses Private is not just about Google

Many sites have learned the hard way they can no longer rely on Google organic traffic alone. Google continues to evolve, and Google’s organic results have undergone dramatic changes. LinkMoses Private is about linking and promotion techniques that broaden and diversify your traffic sources. Yes, Google is important, but you also need to protect yourself. LinkMoses Private will help you do that.

If you’re on a desktop, you can use the above link or use the sign-up form on the right side of this page. After you’ve signed up for LinkMoses Private via PayPal, I’ll personally add your name to the member roster, and send you a welcome message containing the current issue. I’m not trying to reach millions of people, just those who understand what I do and can take action on the advice and strategies I offer.

“A mere $8 a month? That, my friends, is hilariously little money.Good solid links, with great instructions on how to get them. I’ve subscribed to Eric’s LinkMoses Private for less than 2 months and already, I’ve gotten several links out of the link building tips. Now you see why I think all of you should go and subscribe”-Joost de Valk, writing about LinkMoses Private [read Joost’s blog post]

More About LinkMoses Private

First and foremost, I will never suggest a linking strategy or approach that will cause harm to your site or cause you to violate a search engine’s quality guidelines. I’ve provided reliable and effective linking advice since November of 1994. Here are a few hundred examples.

I’ve been creating linking strategies for clients since before there were search engines. Run a Google search on this phrase:

linking strategies eric ward -site:ericward.com

You’ll see results that provide a sense of how my approach is unique and successful. The ultimate goal of LinkMoses Private is to help you develop the most effective inbound links possible. This involves recognizing the wide variety of linking opportunities available to you, and accepting that you cannot rely on traffic from Google alone and expect to succeed. You need to be developing traffic and awareness from sources that are not at the mercy of the next algorithm change, and LinkMoses Private is designed to show you how.

The less you rely on Google for traffic, the better your chances are for long term success, and ironically, when you stop chasing links for Google and instead take the time to follow a true biz/dev driven linking ethos, your Google rank will usually improve anyway, as a side effect.

Real Linking Experts Are Few and Far Between

Experts in the field of link building and linking strategies are few and far between. I’ve been helping sites reach their true linking potential since 1994, and have devoted thousands of hours over the years learning as much as possible about how content on the web gets discovered. There’s far more to links than most people realize, and while Google is an important part of any linking strategy, you can devote too much time to Google and lose perspective. Links are not just about search engine rankings.

Cost and Benefits

At $8 per month, there is no other newsletter like LinkMoses Private. $8 dollars may seem low, but remember not every Link Opportunity Alert will be appropriate for every one of your sites. Subscribers have already requested several hundred topics for Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunites, ranging from archaeology to accounting to business to badminton to dancing to travel to health to livestock to yachts to yoga and even bats. Yes, bats.

This means not every Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunity alert will be appropriate for everyone. This is why I also send you advice and strategies, case studies, how to videos, linking news and tips, a curated reading list, and keep the price at $8. By doing so you will receive value far beyond the Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunity alerts, and learn linking strategies across a variety of verticals.

You Benefit from my Experience

I’ve created and executed linking strategies for clients ranging from Goliath’s like Disney and Amazon to mom and pops, and I’ve purposely stayed a one person operation. I’ve done the link building, strategy development, analytics, and outreach myself for my clients since 1994. I don’t outsource. LinkMoses Private is my way of sharing the best of what I’ve learned, and continue to learn. LinkMoses Private will help you create a sustainable merit-based link profile.

Keeping You Current and Ahead

In addition to sending you opportunity alerts, I will serve as a curator and filter for linking related industry news, sending you links to posts you need to be aware of. I’ve read tens of thousands of SEO and link building articles and posts, and I still read and scan hundreds of posts every week. By curating the best of them for LinkMoses Private members, my goal is to direct you to things that may impact your site or your client’s sites, saving you time.

Key Points

The newsletters are not made public. The newsletter is for subscribers only. Please do not forward or share them as that defeats the exclusivity of this service

I will never suggest an approach or opportunity that can cause harm to your site or cause you to violate a search engine’s quality guidelines

I don’t send pointless link farms and generic directories or any other link opportunity that’s of no ranking or traffic value

Identify highest caliber linking opportunities across a variety of verticals

The Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunity alerts (PLAs) I send include advice on how to maximize your chances for success

I explain and illustrate how to maximize the power of social links from Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others

By design, not every Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunity alert will be appropriate for all of you. We don’t want every subscriber converging on the same site all at once requesting a link

In addition to sending you Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunity alerts, I’ll send you links to news you need to be aware of. This will include private commentary and strategic linking advice related to industry news, including direct comments from my private contacts at the search engines

I include video tutorials when they are needed to help clarify a Publicity/Link/Awareness opportunity

About the Whole LinkMoses Thing

For those of you interested in the “LinkMoses” nickname given to me a few years ago by an industry friend, here’s that backstory. At first it bothered me, but then a light bulb went on and I turned that joke into thousands of links.

What do LinkMoses Private subscribers say? Below are a few tweets and quotes

“I have used linkmoses for a few months and have already earned 5 links from highly relevant websites I did not know existed”– Marco T.

“We have gained immensely from our subscription to Eric’s LinkMoses Private, and for helping us refine our linking strategy with straightforward training and consulting”
– David Farkas, The Upper Ranks

“By far this is one of the BEST link building newsletters I have ever seen. Every issue contains tons of white hat link building resources, articles and actionable strategies. I highly recommend the LinkMoses Private newsletter by Eric Ward to anyone that has any involvement in SEO or link building”
– Nick Stamoulis, brickmarketing.com

“I am lucky to have found Eric’s Link Moses service when I did. As one of the first subscribers, I have already seen the value of my investment in the information he shares. It’s clear that Eric Ward one of the world’s premier link building experts”
– James Pader, Mountain Laurel Handrails

Comments from industry professionals about Eric

One of the web’s original link builders, Eric prides himself on working with only the best of the best – if your content is top notch and serves a greater cause than simply business, Eric is a promotion and link building guru with contacts that would make the New York Times envious.– Rand Fishkin, moz.com

After reading the free edition of your newsletter I realized that your report will be worth every penny. It’ll be required reading for me and my link team– Stoney G deGeyter, positionmarketing.com

An astounding amount of information on link building and content publicity tactics – information like this is just not offered anywhere else. Having had personal training and gone to seminars where you’ve spoke, I consider THE WARD REPORT to be a valued investment for my professional learning…people have no idea how valuable this information is.– Valerie DiCarlo, seo-web-consulting.com

If you’re not following Eric Ward, who are you following? There’s a reason he has been so aptly named “Link Moses”.– Chris Bennett, 97thfloor.com

Eric knows what he’s talking about, and his insights are priceless.– Evolor.com

This is like having Eric spend an hour with you every month giving you his top tips…one of the best deals I’ve seen.– Bob Mutch, www.seocompany.ca

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